Zen Airlines
So, Sparklestone and I are waiting in line at the airport for a flight to Israel on Zen Airlines. I ask if we need different money, and he gives me that typical NY ‘fuggetaboutit’ shoulder shrug. Once we get past security everyone has to sit in these ratty old recliners and watch a video about international air travel, where I promptly fall asleep... in my dream.
Allow me to explain why this dream is actually interesting despite its boring façade. First off, I have virtually no desire to visit Israel. I suppose however, that if I ever did visit, Sparklestone would somehow be involved. I remember he once told me that if he discovered he was terminally ill, he would promptly fly to Israel and just wander off into the desert. Since I don’t believe every friggin dream has to have a prophetic meaning, I have no fear that Sparky has become ill.
SB and I are flying to Tampa Friday for a wedding. I really like flying. I’m not an aviation nut like my friend Emerald Stone (no direct relation to Sparkle). His office window faces the direction of the local airport. At any time of day you can point at a plane in the sky and Emerald can tell you the airline, the flight number and where it’s going/coming from. I’m not that devoted. Flying just reminds me of a very important flight I took once. It was only the second time I had flown, and it was the first time I had flown alone. It was a flight from Idaho to Louisiana, and even though I had booked a return flight, I had no intention of ever using it. Part of me was hoping to lose some nightmares that had started following me around. I remember that day very well. I remember what I was wearing. I remember what song kept playing in my head the entire day. I even remember that the air smelled like being inside the Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland.
As I stood in line at the single gate airport waiting to check two bags containing every possession I valued, a small gray-haired woman in line started a conversation with me. Considering the shade of green I had no doubt started turning, she probably thought I was afraid to fly.
“Where are you going today?”
“Baton Rouge.”
“Oh, to LSU?”
“Yes, for graduate school.”
“I was accepted to graduate school at LSU for English. Well, that must have been before you were born. I wasn’t able to go though.” There was an awkward moment while she stared at the floor. When her gaze returned to me she said with a bright smile “You’ll have to have enough fun for both of us.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Random events certainly happen, but the statistical probability of someone with this connection standing behind me in line to get on the same plane (going just to a hub) and feeling a need to strike up a conversation has to be miniscule. I’ve had less than a handful of days where I’ve been persuaded to think some greater force is guiding or even encouraging me. This was definitely one of those days. That plane didn't just take me to a different place geographically, it took me to a completely different place in my life. I still have those nightmares now and then, but I can’t even begin to wonder what things would be like if I hadn’t gotten on that plane. I wouldn’t have met my wife, or half a dozen other very important people. And I definitely wouldn’t be dreaming of flying to Israel with Sparklestone.
It was a good day to fly.
Allow me to explain why this dream is actually interesting despite its boring façade. First off, I have virtually no desire to visit Israel. I suppose however, that if I ever did visit, Sparklestone would somehow be involved. I remember he once told me that if he discovered he was terminally ill, he would promptly fly to Israel and just wander off into the desert. Since I don’t believe every friggin dream has to have a prophetic meaning, I have no fear that Sparky has become ill.
SB and I are flying to Tampa Friday for a wedding. I really like flying. I’m not an aviation nut like my friend Emerald Stone (no direct relation to Sparkle). His office window faces the direction of the local airport. At any time of day you can point at a plane in the sky and Emerald can tell you the airline, the flight number and where it’s going/coming from. I’m not that devoted. Flying just reminds me of a very important flight I took once. It was only the second time I had flown, and it was the first time I had flown alone. It was a flight from Idaho to Louisiana, and even though I had booked a return flight, I had no intention of ever using it. Part of me was hoping to lose some nightmares that had started following me around. I remember that day very well. I remember what I was wearing. I remember what song kept playing in my head the entire day. I even remember that the air smelled like being inside the Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland.
As I stood in line at the single gate airport waiting to check two bags containing every possession I valued, a small gray-haired woman in line started a conversation with me. Considering the shade of green I had no doubt started turning, she probably thought I was afraid to fly.
“Where are you going today?”
“Baton Rouge.”
“Oh, to LSU?”
“Yes, for graduate school.”
“I was accepted to graduate school at LSU for English. Well, that must have been before you were born. I wasn’t able to go though.” There was an awkward moment while she stared at the floor. When her gaze returned to me she said with a bright smile “You’ll have to have enough fun for both of us.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Random events certainly happen, but the statistical probability of someone with this connection standing behind me in line to get on the same plane (going just to a hub) and feeling a need to strike up a conversation has to be miniscule. I’ve had less than a handful of days where I’ve been persuaded to think some greater force is guiding or even encouraging me. This was definitely one of those days. That plane didn't just take me to a different place geographically, it took me to a completely different place in my life. I still have those nightmares now and then, but I can’t even begin to wonder what things would be like if I hadn’t gotten on that plane. I wouldn’t have met my wife, or half a dozen other very important people. And I definitely wouldn’t be dreaming of flying to Israel with Sparklestone.
It was a good day to fly.
posted by Sylow_P | 12:22 PM
4 Comments:
No desire to visit Israel? What about the history, the culture, the hashish?
So the question remains: did you have enough fun at LSU for two?
We should make that a math question. Create some sort of scale, recall every event we can remember, assign some values, create some formulae to deal with the events we can't remember and then figger if you had enough fun.
Use the force young padawan. What do your instincts tell you?
As for Israel, I said 'virtually no desire'. Plus, you know how I get when things start blowing up, but if you want me to go along I will.
Well this post is the direct opposite of your blog name...I find that very interesting....
Don't you wonder how many of these life-altering decisions we have made in our life? Some we can trace, and some we can't.
Did you meet sparklestone at LSU too?
Don't forget marybishop, I even fell asleep in my dream! What does that say? When I do sleep I dream of sleeping!? Weird.
Yes, Sparkle and I met at LSU. He was impressed by my remote control fan, and I was impressed that he had successfully applied a master degree in biblical hebrew to the art of mixing paint.
We're a talented group.
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